IoT seems like the next big thing to have if you own your own home. If you rent, or plan to sell your home, de-installing or releasing all the appliances you can't take with you seems like a big pain. Across-the-internet owner validation is a whole new security challenge. But once IoT is essentially commoditized, it will be everywhere.

I agree Max. That's why you and I need to form a company to make the next big widget. How about a high tech doorbell or an electronic welcome mat. That should be worth a couple billion, don't you think?

FYI: Business Insider reports: "In this case, hackers broke into more than 100,000 everyday consumer gadgets, such as home-networking routers, connected multi-media centers, televisions, and at least one refrigerator, Proofpoint says. They then used those objects to send more than 750,000 malicious emails to enterprises and individuals worldwide."

Over-paying for something is just a sign of how much you value it. Google clearly sees Nest Labs as an opportunity to enter a completely new space. They want to open it up forceably and create an enduring legacy for themselves. This is an area that has gone fairly untouched to this point. I don't think that over-paying in this case is unreasonable--unless you by definition say that over-paying is paying an unreasonable amount.